Tributes pour in from around the globe for George H.W. Bush

Former President Barack Obama expressed praise for former President George H.W. Bush, who died late Friday. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images)

The plaudits came from his predecessors, from around the globe and across the Congressional aisle, from old friends and Cold War foes.

President George H.W. Bush was fondly recalled Saturday by many whose lives were touched during his decades in public life, with special praise for a genial exterior and lifelong commitment to service.

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"I will be forever grateful for the friendship we formed,” said former President Bill Clinton. “From the moment I met him as a young governor invited to his home in Kennebunkport, I was struck by the kindness he showed to (daughter) Chelsea, by his innate and genuine decency.”

Ex-Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama was similarly effusive: "George H.W. Bush's life is a testament to the notion that public service is a noble, joyous calling. And he did tremendous good along the journey."

Bush was honored by Kuwait’s ruling emir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, for the President’s 1991 dispatch of U.S. troops to the nation in “Operation Desert Storm.”

The President never “forgot the Kuwaiti people and will remain in their memory,” he said.

Comedian Ellen DeGeneres tweeted her love for the late President’s efforts after Hurricane Katrina.

"I will never forget George H.W. Bush and President Clinton meeting me in my old hometown of New Orleans to show support and raise money,” she wrote. “I send my love to his family tonight."

And the Dalia Lama, in a message to son George W. Bush, recalled how the elder Bush was the first American President to ever meet with him.

“It is truly admirable to have lived over 94 years,” said the Tibetan spiritual leader. “While nothing can replace the loss of a father, we can rejoice in the fact that his was a meaningful life, dedicated to public service.”

Former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev sent along his memories of Bush’s presidency, when the two superpowers were able to find common ground.

"It was a time of great change, demanding great responsibility from everyone,” he recalled. “The result was the end of the Cold War and nuclear arms race.”